Johnny Berry
Author Alan Woods
Johnny
Berry was a Manchester frame builder, cyclist, and bicycle shop
owner. For over 40 years he built bicycle frames, first under the Berry
and Bentley name, and then under his own name. Berry was a meticulous frame builder who managed to develop a unique, easily recognizable, and personal style.(1,8) His frames had a good reputation and performed well.(2). They showed great attention to detail and exhibited the highest level of craftsmanship.(1)(3) They were Manchester’s “most expensive and prestigious framesets” in the 1950s.(2) Berry built frames only to special order, and until the early-1960s, waiting times for a custom frame were long, between 1 and 2 years (8). After that, during a period in which many British builders closed shop, Berry continued to excel as a frame builder (1).
In the early-1930s, Johnny Berry and his partner, Bill Bentley, opened a cycle shop at 4/5/6 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester (8). The shop was managed by Bentley, leaving Berry to focus on frame making, skills he had learned from Tim Heeley at Stenton Glider in Manchester (8). Berry built 460 “Berry and Bentley” frames between the early-1930s and the sometime during World War II. These frames have a serial number on the drive-side drop-out; the first two digits (representing the year) are followed by a serial number that ran sequentially from when Berry began “Berry and Bentley” frames (8).
Johnny Berry opened his own cycle shop at 193 Wilmslow Rd, Rusholme, Manchester in the early-1940s. He, his wife (Ida), and, later his son (Donald) lived above this shop that was less than a half of a mile from the previous Berry and Bentley site. For thirty years, Berry built his own frames under his own name on the ground floor, in a room behind the display area (5). He sometimes hired others to help him by filing lugs, etc. Ida also helped at the shop. Berry built 913 frames under his own name.
Serial number stamped on the
bottom of the bottom bracket shell.
Frame numbers ran sequentially from when Johnny began building under his own name.
This frame is the 891st frame that he built. His last frame was #741913. Johnny died in 1974.
Frame numbers ran sequentially from when Johnny began building under his own name.
This frame is the 891st frame that he built. His last frame was #741913. Johnny died in 1974.
Serial numbers were stamped on the bottom side of the bottom bracket shell and, at least sometimes, on the bottom of the fork crown and/or on the steerer tube. The first two digits of the serial number represent the year that a frame was finished. The third digit was always a “1”. It was followed by a frame number that ran sequentially from the early-1940s when Berry began building under his own name (8).
Johnny and Ida Berry's shop in
1971 or 1972 at 193 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester.
Note blue Berry bicycle leaning on window outside, orange Bob Jackson frameset hanging in right display window,
and advertisement for Ron Kitching's "Everything Cycling" on door.
Note blue Berry bicycle leaning on window outside, orange Bob Jackson frameset hanging in right display window,
and advertisement for Ron Kitching's "Everything Cycling" on door.
Berry joined the Manchester Wheelers in 1928 (8). He was active in the club for decades, but after the early-1930s, shop duties prevented him from regularly joining the official Saturday rides; instead, he helped organize an unofficial club run on Sunday. Berry rode time trials through the early-1940s, helped organize race meets at Fallowfield in the late-1940s and 1950s, and was president of the Manchester Wheelers in 1960 (6). Berry was official mechanic to the 1948 British Olympic Cycling Team at Herne Hill in London (6,8).
Berry knew Reg Harris, the many time British national sprint champion, Olympic medalist, and world professional champion; Berry was unofficial mechanic to Harris and the British team at the 1947 World Amateur Sprint Championship in Paris, which Harris won.(6)(8) Later, after turning professional, Harris is reputed to have ridden a Berry rebadged as a Raleigh, his sponsor(8). Photos of Berry and Harris together in Berry’s shop were displayed there.(8)
Johnny Berry holding new
frameset #721891 belonging to Alan Woods.
Badging is latest-type; white block letters on down tube and "JB" over gold globe on head and seat tubes.
Johnny added World Championship color bands to some of his frames (especially those with seat tube panels)
after Audrey McElmury won the women's World Championship Road Race in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1969 on a Berry.
Badging is latest-type; white block letters on down tube and "JB" over gold globe on head and seat tubes.
Johnny added World Championship color bands to some of his frames (especially those with seat tube panels)
after Audrey McElmury won the women's World Championship Road Race in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1969 on a Berry.
Most of Berry’s customers were cyclists and fellow club members from the Manchester area (8). However, by the early-1960s, Berry had developed enough of an international reputation to have customers in far off places (7). Jerry Rimoldi of San Diego, California owned Berry cycles, and helped introduce Berry frames to other cyclists, particularly on the west coast of the United States; Rimoldi co-founded the San Diego Bicycle Club, owned College Cyclery, was an official mechanic of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Cycling Team in Mexico City, and was the 1972 U.S. Olympic Track Coach in Munich. In 1969, another American from the San Diego area, Audrey McElmury, won the women’s 1969 World Road Race Championship in Brno, Czechoslovakia on a Berry. After McElmury’s 1969 World Championship, some Berry frame’s, especially those with a seat tube panel, were adorned with World Championship color bands on their seat tubes.
Several down tube transfer types were used on Berrys. Frames in the late-1930s had the first-type of transfer, a block-style “BERRY & BENTLEY” (gold, green, red) (2). When Berry started building under his own name, a block-style “BERRY” was initially used, and was created by simply cutting away “& BENTLEY” from the first-type transfers (8). The third-type of down tube transfer, was a script-style “Johnny Berry” (red/gold outline, green/gold outline, or blue/gold); it was used until 1958 (2). The fourth-type was a script-style “J. Berry” (gold/black outline, black, and various colors); it was smaller than the third type, and was used beginning in 1957 (2,8). The fifth-type, was a block-style “BERRY” (white/black outline or red/gold outline); it was used on some Berry’s dating from the early-1960s and most of the later frames.
In all, Berry built over 1,370 frames in a 40 year career, averaging 34.25 per year. In later years, annual production dropped off. For example, from 1970 (when frame #701885 was completed) to spring of 1972 (when frame #721891 was finished), only 5 frames were built. These two frames were broadly similar, using Prugnat Type-S lugs and sharing graphics, but the frame from 1972 was set up to use side pull brakes, and therefore, lacked the center pull brake braze-ons of the frame from 1970. Berry’s last frame, #741913, was finished in 1974; it was the 913th frame that he had built under his own name. An owner’s register exists; Ron Sant’s register it now maintained by Gordon Blaikie of the Veteran Cycle Club (9,10).
#721891 in 2010. Original owner.
Bicycle was repainted in 1984 by Trisha Stevenson of Olympia,
Washington.
Head and seat tube transfers are the ornate type (with "J. Berry" in blue script, not the later (and last) style, "JB" over gold globe.
Later (and last) style transfers originally came on the frameset, but were no longer available when bike was repainted. #721891 still sees regular use.
Head and seat tube transfers are the ornate type (with "J. Berry" in blue script, not the later (and last) style, "JB" over gold globe.
Later (and last) style transfers originally came on the frameset, but were no longer available when bike was repainted. #721891 still sees regular use.
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 |
Typical
thinned, Prugnat-Type S lugwork of later Berry frames. This
frame is #721891
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The
ornate head tube/seat tube transfer (above left) had "J. Berry" in blue
script
under "BUILT BY" all on an orange scroll.
Wings flanked the orange scroll and the shop's street address was printed on the yellow border.
The ornate badge was superseded by a simpler head tube/seat tube transfer (above right) with "JB" on a metallic gold globe above "JOHNNY BERRY Manchester"
Wings flanked the orange scroll and the shop's street address was printed on the yellow border.
The ornate badge was superseded by a simpler head tube/seat tube transfer (above right) with "JB" on a metallic gold globe above "JOHNNY BERRY Manchester"
Fully
wrapped seat stay caps (above centre) and plain, long
point lugs were used on
frame #721891. Gold top eye lining is tapered, brush applied, and goes
well
with the Berry's plain, long-point, Prugnat Type-S lugs
The Berry's
paint work, lining, and decoration were done, I believe, by C and G
Finishes in Liverpool. Other later Berry frames featured the same top
eye lining style in gold.
Johnny Berry died in 1974 at the age of 66.
(1) 2011, personal communication with W.D. Stevenson, frame builder, Olympia, Washington
(2) 2006, letter from Jim Batty to Toni Thielmeier, as reported in Theilmeier (2006), p. 9.
(3) 2011, personal communication with Corey Thompson, frame builder, Olympia, Washington
(4) 2010, personal communication with Doug Fattic, frame builder, Niles, Michigan
(5) 2007, personal communication with Doug Fattic, frame builder, Niles, Michigan
(6) Barlow, T.M., and Fletcher, J. (compilers), 1983, History of Manchester Wheelers’ Club 1883-1983 (Formerly Manchester Athletic Bicycle Club): Manchester, 230p (particularly chapters 2, 3, and 4). Now available on line by downloading pdfs at www.manchesterwheelers.co.uk/about-us/history.htm.
(7) McElmury, Scott, 2007, The Great European Tour: Bicycle Quarterly, v. 6, no. 2, pp. 1, 11-14.
(8)Sant, Ron, 2002, Made in Manchester - Part IV (Johnny Berry), The Northern Wheel: Manchester and District CTC), pp. 63-65.
(9) Theilmeier, Toni, 2006, Johnny Berry, The Boneshaker: Veteran Cycle Club, v. 170, pp. 8-13).
(10) 2011, personal communication with Graham Trunks, editor, The Northern Wheel
Original 1972 receipt for Johnny
Berry road frame #721891 and set of wheels.
Frame/fork stove-enameled, lined, and clear coated with contrasting seat tube panel and graphics, £40.
Tubular wheel set with Campagnolo Record high flange hubs, £18.71.
Frame/fork stove-enameled, lined, and clear coated with contrasting seat tube panel and graphics, £40.
Tubular wheel set with Campagnolo Record high flange hubs, £18.71.
David Strong relates a link between Johnny Berry and Frank Herety:
I have just been reading the Johnny berry section and it reminded me of something Frank Herety told me many years ago, if I remember correctly Frank used to work for Johnny years before and learnt his skills as a frame builder from him, Frank also continued to use C & G finishes in Liverpool and also used the same lug detailing and paint touches such as the seat stay cap lines.
My own Frank Herety bike was one of the last he made and has the same detailing as seen on Johnny’s frames. Frank was desperately trying to stop making frames during the early 90’s due to lung problems from inhaling brazing fumes etc and would only make one when in the mood, I asked for years with no success until one day he phoned me and said “do you still want one of my frames” I was at his shop before the phone rested back on the hook for measuring up.
Frank also made frames for Ribble (look for the frame #, if it has FH stamped on it, then it’s one of Frank’s, it’ll probably have internal cable guides too) he also made excellent wheels that didn’t need a service to re-tension the spokes because Frank had a way of stress relieving them and then re setting the correct tension before you were given them to ride. Both men very skilled in many ways.
David Lees
I am a keen cyclist and so was my father. I have his 1939 Berry and Bentley cycle frame, frame no. 39.360, which I eventually want to restore. He was a cycling fanatic when he had this made. He knew Reg Harris well, as an acquaintance “on the road”. So his and Berry’s knowledge combined to make an exceptional frame and geometry. Custom made, 24 ½ “ . 531 tubing, Chater-Lea lugs, beautifully “Thinned”. This was in its time the “Rolls Royce” of Manchester bikes. In my teens in the mid ‘60’s I was a club racer and tourist and had the paint and transfers restored by Jonny Berry in Wilmslow Road and used it. I then bought a custom made Harry Quinn, but couldn’t get the same performance and satisfaction out of it so went back to the 1939 Berry & Bently!
We both rode with Oldham Century, although I now live in Guildford, Surrey and hope to restore the machine to its former glory. My father was born in 1919 but is now deceased. I am still a serious recreational rider.
I have just been reading the Johnny berry section and it reminded me of something Frank Herety told me many years ago, if I remember correctly Frank used to work for Johnny years before and learnt his skills as a frame builder from him, Frank also continued to use C & G finishes in Liverpool and also used the same lug detailing and paint touches such as the seat stay cap lines.
My own Frank Herety bike was one of the last he made and has the same detailing as seen on Johnny’s frames. Frank was desperately trying to stop making frames during the early 90’s due to lung problems from inhaling brazing fumes etc and would only make one when in the mood, I asked for years with no success until one day he phoned me and said “do you still want one of my frames” I was at his shop before the phone rested back on the hook for measuring up.
Frank also made frames for Ribble (look for the frame #, if it has FH stamped on it, then it’s one of Frank’s, it’ll probably have internal cable guides too) he also made excellent wheels that didn’t need a service to re-tension the spokes because Frank had a way of stress relieving them and then re setting the correct tension before you were given them to ride. Both men very skilled in many ways.
David Lees
I am a keen cyclist and so was my father. I have his 1939 Berry and Bentley cycle frame, frame no. 39.360, which I eventually want to restore. He was a cycling fanatic when he had this made. He knew Reg Harris well, as an acquaintance “on the road”. So his and Berry’s knowledge combined to make an exceptional frame and geometry. Custom made, 24 ½ “ . 531 tubing, Chater-Lea lugs, beautifully “Thinned”. This was in its time the “Rolls Royce” of Manchester bikes. In my teens in the mid ‘60’s I was a club racer and tourist and had the paint and transfers restored by Jonny Berry in Wilmslow Road and used it. I then bought a custom made Harry Quinn, but couldn’t get the same performance and satisfaction out of it so went back to the 1939 Berry & Bently!
We both rode with Oldham Century, although I now live in Guildford, Surrey and hope to restore the machine to its former glory. My father was born in 1919 but is now deceased. I am still a serious recreational rider.